Police warn residents of lottery phone scam

EAST GOSHEN ­— Police on Tuesday issued a warning to area residents after a “Mega Millions” phone scam recently cost one victim about $8,000.

According to Westtown-East Goshen Regional Police, two East Goshen residents received phone calls last week from a man who claimed to represent the “Mega Millions Company.”

Police said the first call was reported Nov. 5 by a resident of the 1100 block of Lincoln Drive. The caller informed the would-be victim that they were the winner of a $2 million cash prize and that they needed to purchase a prepaid money card from Rite-Aid to claim the money, according to police.

The resident did not take any action and reported the call to police.

Advertisement

On Nov. 8, an elderly resident of the 200 block of Cedar Ridge Road informed police about a series of calls received between September and November. The victim told police a man who also identified himself as a representative of the Mega Millions Company repeatedly called and informed him of a $3.8 million cash prize.

Police said the caller told the victim he would need to pay a series of fees before the funds could be released. The victim was directed to wire money to an individual in Jamaica through Western Union and purchase prepaid money cards at a local pharmacy. The victim lost about $8,000 to the scam, according to police.

Both cases are under investigation, police said.

Investigators said anyone who believes they are the winner of a lottery prize should be in possession of the ticket and winning numbers before attempting to claim a prize.

Authorities urge anyone who receives a call similar to those described above to contact their local police department.